One of our family’s favorite walks is along Ellerslie Road, near Millwood, VA. It’s about 6 miles round trip. Usually I prefer hiking on a path, but this road is so little traveled with such beautiful views, it’s become a regular walk.
This also makes for a fun kayaking/biking trip. There’s a public landing under the bridge at Route 50 and another near Locke’s Mill. It’s a very nice, easy section of the Shenendoah - great for beginners.
The best little Christmas Pageant ever.
I forgot that Mr. Davenport had posted the Christmas Pageant from last year on youtube. Though the kids get older and the costumes a big more bedraggled, this is pretty much how it’s been for years:
Also, make sure to check out Tom’s folkstreams.net website for a lot of great cultural films from many talented directors.
I first read this poem in high school. Since then I remember it at odd times, not always knowing why.
Nobody heard him, the dead man, But still he lay moaning: I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning. Poor chap, he always loved larking And now he's dead It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way, They said. Oh, no no no, it was too cold always (Still the dead one lay moaning) I was much too far out all my life And not waving but drowning.
-Stevie Smith
New Years Resolutions are bubbling out into January.
Last year, a guy named David decided to whittle down his personal possessions to only 100 items. Among other things, he gave up his hiking boots, yoga mat, and nose hair trimmer. He kept underwear, a mechanical pencil, and a camera. In 2009, he will chronicle his adaptivity to the new, simplistic lifestyle.
Simplicity. A sigh of relief. The more distractions we have around us, the less apt we are to see the things that matter. Resolutions take this into account. Losing weight, spending less, seeing anew, caring more…all signs the ethereal trumps the tangible.
It is a paradigm that the more things we have, the less life we experience. The interactions with others and ourselves in the absence of such things creates life beyond the inane. The act of being from the synergy of the world and our own minds.
Danielle and I had a great day in D.C. Seeing the first snow of the year fall over the old buildings was a treat. We went to the Hirshorn, where I saw one of my favorite pieces, Big Man, by Ron Mueck. Then we explored the exhibit above …two panels that allowed you to look through them, at yourself, and at others all at the same time.
We went to the National Museum of American History. Though busy, it was worth the trip alone to see Obama’s presidency already recognized on the wall of presidents!
The Botanical Garden had an exhibit on D.C. momuments made entirely of organic material which was rather amazing. The highlight for me though, was seeing the Capital Christmas tree, with its homemade ornaments, standing humbly in the snow. In just a few short weeks, the quiet of this night will be replaced with the exciting buzz of millions of people, hopeful for the years to come.
Extreme Makeover - Language Edition
The instructor of a course I am taking handed out copies of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Can’t say that I paid it much attention in high school, but I am now delighted by their snooty, often correct judgment of language. Here are a few gems:
“Enthuse. An annoying verb growing out of the noun enthusiasm. Not recommended.
Facility. Why must jails, hospitals, and schools suddenly become ‘facilities’?
Finalize. A pompous, ambiguous verb.
Thanking you in advance. This sounds as if the writer meant, ‘It will not be worth my while to write to you again.’
Thrust. This showy noun, suggestive of power, hinting of sex, is the darling of executives, politicos, and speechwriters. Use it sparingly.“
The last example reminds me of a word I am very tired of hearing people use to describe something that grabs your attention. That word is ’sexy’. No. Maps are not sexy. Graphics are not sexy. Topics such as nuclear proliferation are also, not sexy.
Close encounters of a cosmic kind…
Many people take for granted the night-sky, but tonight the cosmos demanded our attention. Venus and Jupiter are brightly aligned with the crescent moon in what my favorite description so far described as a smiley face to people in Australia or a frowny face to us northern hemisphere dwellers.
I went out armed with tripod and camera to take some pics for my dad.
For long weekends. For warm blankets. For cheap plane tickets from Florida and Rota, Spain. For 6 year olds, for puzzles (except when they are missing a piece). For dogs with cold noses who warm up my feet at night. For vegetarian stuffing and fathers who wash dishes. For friends in town and chilly nights outside by a fire. For big families, and lots of love.
HERE AND HUMAN
In the warm room, cushioned by comfort, Idle at fireside, shawled in lamplight, I know the cold winter night, but only As a far intimation, like a memory Of a dead distress whose ghost has grown genial. The disc, glossy black as a conjurer’s hat, Revolves. Music is unwound: woodwind, Strings, a tenor voice singing in a tongue I do not comprehend or have need to - ‘The instrument of egoism mastered by art’ - For what I listen to is unequivocal: A distillation of romantic love, Passion outsoaring speech. I understand And, understanding, I rejoice in my condition: This sweet accident of being here and human. Later, as I lie in the dark, the echoes Recede, the blind cat of sleep purrs close But does not curl. Beyond the window The hill is hunched under his grey cape Like a watchman. I cannot hear his breathing. Silence is a starless sky on the ceiling Till shock slashes, stillness is gashed By a dazzle of noise chilling the air Like lightning. It is an animal screech, Raucous, clawing: surely the language of terror. But I misread it, deceived. It is the sound Of passionate love, a vixen’s mating call. It lingers hurtful, a stink in the ear, But soon it begins to fade. I breathe deep, Feeling the startled fur settle and smooth. Then I sleep.by Vernon Scannell
